Wii MotionPlus

Nintendo did a nice job with their new Princess Peach Wii Remote Plus controller. It's Peach pink and has some colored accents to make you think of Mushroom Kingdom's royalty. It sort of makes a set with the Mario and Luigi W...

This isn't the first time that a scientific study has come up demonstrating the benefits that videogames can have on budding surgeons, and it surely won't be the last. It makes sense: spend time developing hand-eye coordinati...

Your experience with Skyward Sword's controls can vary immensely from the next guy's. Some people had no trouble whatsoever becoming acclimated with the motions, whereas others could never get the sword to go where they want...

Today, Mash Tactics is picking up that old Master Sword, in the form of a golden Wii remote, to once again save the eponymous princess in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Potentially one of the last great Wii releases, and...

There was a time when The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword might have been a button only affair, with nary a motion control in sight. But Legend of Zelda producer, Eiji Aonuma, explained to Official Nintendo Magazine that he co...

Nov 21 //
Jonathan Holmes
First off, it's not a double standard to criticize Skyward Sword for having mandatory motion controls but leave games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Donkey Kong Country Returns out of that argument. Those two games utilize motion controls as minor parts of the experience, employed to perform actions that are not at the heart of their designs. In Skyward Sword, just about everything besides character movement and sub-screen activation are done with motion controls. They are a constant part of the Skyward Sword experience.
That said, I wouldn't say that Skyward Sword is game that is about motion controls. It's not like Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit, or Wii Sports Resort. All three of those games work like a high-tech mirror -- the player does not take on the role of another character. They play as themselves, and the game reflects back how effective (or ineffective) their physical actions are at achieving the game's particular goals. These are games about focusing on your body, not about leaving your body and being transported somewhere else.
The Zelda series (Skyward Sword included) is about doing the opposite thing. It's about leaving your room, leaving your body behind, and entering the world of Hyrule through Link as your avatar. For some, motion controls are definitely going to get in the way of that process.
Some find that motion controls make them constantly aware of their bodies in a way that button controls do not. Button and stick controls have become second nature for most "diehard" gamers. For them, button and stick controls work as the most direct and non-intrusive connection between our world and the game world. Just as they don't have to think about moving each muscle in their body when going for a walk, they don't even have to think about what button to press on the controller when playing a game. For these players, the standard controller truly is an extension of themselves.
That's why they hate motion controls so much. Where standard button controls are something their muscle memory has fully embraced, motion controls are still a relatively new and awkward thing to adjust to. Even though many of the motions in Skyward Sword only require a flick of the wrist (or the elbow at the very most), the game's controls are still likely to distract and annoy them.
For "casual" gamers, the roles are reversed. Button controls are typically strange and disorienting to them. Twelve buttons, two analog sticks, and a D-pad are just as intimidating to them as being presented with the controls for a 747 and asked to "just fly it a round a bit." Constantly looking down at the controller to figure out which button to press takes them right out of the game, and the frustration of not being able to just "get the game to do what they want" can be enough to turn them off to gaming for good. Motion controls have been such a revelation to these gamers, allowing them to play games by using actions and motions that are already second nature to them in real life and destroying the barriers that once existed between them and the game world.
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This brings us to Skyward Sword, a game that seems to try to have it both ways but isn't quite willing to go the extra mile to get there. According to certain reviews, the game's motions controls have clearly taken at least one person out of the game. Now, as the video from TheBitBlock above clearly demonstrates, to fault the game's controls for your inability to play it properly is an inaccurate assessment. That would be like giving a bad review to a perfectly good basketball because, every time you try to get it in the hoop, it bounces off the backboard. Good reviewers would know when it's their fault, not the game's, for their inability to enjoy it. That's often not true of reviews of motion-controlled games. A lot of reviewers fail to understand that if a motion-controlled game works some of the time, then that means that it would work all the time if they were playing it properly. I could go on about that topic, but I'll save it for another time.
In addition to being able to differentiate between personal flaws and a game's flaws, it's also their job to speak from their heart as well as their head. Though I felt like Skyward Sword was a perfect 10, I thought that the game was too potentially alienating to be considered flawless from a design perspective. To get a 10/10, the game has to give all players everything they could possible want or expect out of a title. The forced motion controls are just enough to keep Skyward Sword from getting there.
It would be one thing if it were impossible to adapt the game for standard controls, but that's definitely not the case. Anyone who has played the Ape Escape series will tell you how the second analog stick can work to control swords, remote-controlled vehicles, and other Zelda-like items. It would be different, though not unheard of, for a game to have both classic and motion controls; the practice is becoming more and more common as gaming moves forward. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Monster Hunter Tri, No More Heroes 2, Conduit 2, Punch-Out!!, Mario Kart Wii, GoldenEye 007, and many others on the Wii give us that option. The same can be said of No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise and Dead Space: Extraction on the PS3. Even Twilight Princess gave you the option to play with standard or motion controls. Nintendo may have required players to buy a separate game for that option, but it was still possible. Players who aren't interested in the prospect of a motion-controlled Zelda have every right to feel disappointed that Skyward Sword doesn't allow us to play it the way they want.
It seems even stranger that Nintendo would make this call when you consider that the Wii U is potentially less than a year from launch. The upcoming console's main input device is basically a Wii classic controller with a touch screen. Wouldn't it have been great to have the option to play Skyward Sword on that controller, on your own private screen without the shackles of motion controls, while the rest of the family uses the TV for other purposes? Maybe Nintendo built in the option to play the game that way, or maybe the company will release a Wii U edition later on. Either way, it's strange that the company is moving towards making dual-analog controls and motion controls part of the core experience with the Wii U on that end, while completely abandoning the idea with Skyward Sword on the Wii.
The fact that the Wii U exists says that Nintendo understands how much players appreciate being provided with control of how they experience their games. The same goes for the 3DS and its ability to turn off the 3D effect. If Nintendo ever makes a 3DS game that forces you to play with the 3D on, you can be sure that it will alienate some people. So far, that hasn't been an issue. As excited as Nintendo may be about 3D, it still seems to understand that, if 3D is as great as it hopes, it won't need to force us to accept it. We will gravitate to it naturally if it truly enhances the experience.
I bet the same thing would have happened if Skyward Sword's motion controls had been optional. If that's the route Nintendo had taken, I think it's likely that many players who were initially turned off by the idea of playing a fully motion controlled Zelda would have picked up the game. Maybe they would have started off with the Classic Controller then tried out the motion controls over time. Over even more time, they may have come to find that the motion controls are so responsive and exhilarating that they do even more to make them feel connected to Link and the game world than button and stick controls could. Maybe Nintendo was right. Maybe motion controls really are better than button controls for the Zelda experience.
One thing's for sure: there are a lot of people who will never be convinced if they feel like the idea of motion controls is being forced on them. If you want to get someone to willingly try something new, the last thing you should ever do is make that person feel forced. I find that's especially true with gamers. By nature, we're the ones who want to be in control. When developers and publishers try to take that control away from us, it usually leads to bad things. Let's hope Nintendo keeps that in mind with their next Zelda title and that Skyward Sword doesn't miss finding its full audience in the meantime.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was released today, and the game is already buzzing with controversy. Specifically, some reviewers and players are insisting that the game's motion controls are fantastic while others a...

Nov 19 //
Jonathan Holmes
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)Developer: NintendoPublisher: NintendoReleased: November 20, 2011MSRP: $49.99
Skyward Sword feels like the perfect celebration of the Zelda series' 25-year history. From the packed-in CD containing the best music from the franchise performed by a full orchestra, to the option to purchase the game with a golden Wii Remote Plus, the whole package feels more like an event than any other Nintendo release in recent memory. It would be a shame if the game weren't able to match the quality of its optional pack-ins (I'm looking at you, Epic Mickey). Thankfully, Skyward Sword delivers.
It features more new ideas and changes than the series has seen since Majora's Mask while simultaneously working to include and refine all of the best ideas from the past 3D Zelda titles. In Skyward Sword, you will go back in time, sail across a vast and daunting sea, travel to an otherworldly dimension, and in the process, become emotionally connected to a small, strange community filled with amazing, unforgettable characters. You'll also skydive off your porch without a parachute, ride bird-back into battle against a giant shark monster made of black mist and hatred, be sexually harassed by a bad-ass dude in white lipstick, commune with robots, hit a cat in the face, play a harp for butterflies, get your face hugged by the Zelda equivalent of a face hugger, and use your remote-controlled flying beetle to launch death from above upon herds of giant electric desert crustaceans.
The game's storyline also feels like a refined evolution of the traditional series narrative. Like most Zelda titles, Skyward Sword is a coming-of-age story, but this time, it starts off from the perspective of a teenager. The game is about Link and Zelda both coming into adulthood, going out into the world, leaving the sheltered past of childhood behind, and discovering themselves and each other. It just so happens that in this scenario, that "sheltered past" is quite literally the equivalent of a magical bomb shelter. Before waging war against invading demons, the Goddess of the Zelda world created a small village in the sky, inhabited by the chosen few in order to keep them safe from the coming battle. Skyward Sword tells the tale of Zelda and Link leaving that behind for the first time and, in doing so, setting the entire Legend of Zelda timeline into motion.
Along the way, they encounter plenty of people, with concepts of sexuality and gender always bubbling right below the surface. First up is that guy I mentioned previously -- the sexually threatening, emotionally disturbed villain Ghirahim, who seems to represent the idea of unhinged, wholesale abuse of power. Then there is Impa, his female counterpart/nemesis, who similarly blends male and female gender archetypes together while exemplifying the greater virtues commonly associated with both sexes. Largely through dealing with these two characters, Link and Zelda learn what it means to be a man and a woman (respectively).
It feels so good to see the heroes and villains of a Zelda game have so much symbolic weight again. As much as I love Ganon, beyond his mildly interesting childhood, he's basically a one-note tune. I can't even remember what the villains of the GBA and DS titles were motivated by. Twilight Princess's Zant and Midna were interesting experiments in atypical characterizations, but with Skyward Sword, the series is back to giving us a cast of characters that completely defies expectation.
Great ideas are important and all, but they won't mean a lot without excellent craftsmanship to back them up. Skyward Sword doesn't disappoint on this front. The art direction, music, pacing, and sound design are all fantastic. The game has a Wind Waker-style cel-shaded look, but instead of showing influence from children's manga and Warner Bros. cartoons, the game appears to take its visual inspiration from Studio Ghibli and Lilo and Stitch-era Disney films, all while retaining the signature Zelda style. That visual style, combined with extremely expressive animation, music (often performed by a full orchestra), and sound design, results in a game that can take the smallest moments and make them feel like a symphony.
Early on in the game, there is a moment when Zelda looks at Link and everything comes together so perfectly that I literally did not press the button to move the scene along for a full 30 seconds. I didn't want the moment to end. The look on Zelda's face, the way her eyes animated, the music, her body language -- it was all so beautiful. Though she barely says a word, you can tell from all the other elements coming together that Zelda wants Link; she loves him like a brother but wants him and their relationship to be more, though she's just not sure if he'll ever make that happen. In the hands of other developers, that one moment would have been instantly forgettable, just another bit of dialogue in a typical videogame cutscene. In the hands of the Skyward Sword team, it's a moment that I'm still talking about now, even after experiencing the hundreds of other similarly striking sequences that the game has to offer.
For me, the really great thing about Skyward Sword's presentation is that it takes things to such a fantastic, artistically beautiful level without ever sacrificing its videogame-ness. Other than some frightfully beautiful singing, the game features no voice acting, and it's only better for it. Beyond that, videogame logic is still mixed into the experience at all times. Wandering around the woods and see a tree stump? Have a seat on it and you'll get all your health back in a flash. Meet a monster in the basement? Don't be afraid, he's a good dude. In fact, he just wants to be human! If you collect enough gratitude energy from the people in your town (in the form of little glowing energy blobs that look exactly like the Star Bits from Super Mario Galaxy), you just might help him become a person. The game is packed with little moments like that which say loud and clear that Skyward Sword is a videogame and proud of it.
Skyward Sword is also not afraid to take risks. Probably the biggest risk it takes is the implementation of mandatory MotionPlus controls. That's right: nearly all the action here is motion-controlled. This results in a game where all the combat feels much more real. Although it's initially more difficult, it is ultimately all the more rewarding and exciting for it. In past 3D Zelda games, it became easy to just Z-target to guard, wait for an opening, and then jam the attack button in order to win. That won't work in Skyward Sword. You must direct your strikes with intent and precision if you want to win most battles, though the game does a good job of slowly teaching you exactly how to go about this.
Remember Ghirahim, that sexually charged villain I mentioned earlier? He will not let you proceed very far until you learn how to aim your strikes. In fact, he'll yank your sword right out of your hands and throw it at your head if you just flail wildly at him, as if to say "your days of button-mashing your way through the Zelda series are officially over."
From there, the game continues to throw tougher and more cleverly defended enemies at you, forcing you to fight smarter. The Bokoblins armed with taser swords immediately come to mind. Ignore how they're guarding, and you're sure to clash swords with them, which will lead to your taking a shock, losing some health, and leaving yourself vulnerable. Add to that the fact that your shield can only take a limited amount of hits now, and you have a Zelda game that forces you to take every battle seriously. That may sound like a lot of work, but once you get good at the game, both in terms of dexterity and strategy, it feels more satisfying than any other title in the series (and just about any other swordplay-focused game, for that matter).
Speaking of broken shields and the need for strategy, Skyward Sword's flow often feels more like Monster Hunter Tri than Ocarina of Time. You'll constantly be heading back to town to buy new shields and supplies while crafting new items and bolstering your equipment with ingredients and goods found in the wild. These hunter/gatherer gameplay elements definitely feel inspired by Monster Hunter, but thankfully, the monotony that sometimes plagues that series isn't present here.
Part of that is because each area in the game is like a virtual jungle gym, with plenty for this new, very active Link to do. Like in Majora's Mask, there aren't a ton of different areas, but they are all huge, with plenty to do, and new options, environments, and dungeons are always opening up. As in the better Metroid games, returning to previously explored areas of Skyward Sword with new weapons and abilities will yield the potential for new lands to explore, puzzles to solve, items to collect, and challenges to overcome.
That's true of just about any Zelda game, but what makes Skyward Sword special is how fast-paced and streamlined it is. Even during those moments when I was just messing around, catching bugs, doing favors for NPCs, and exploring the game's world, I still felt like I was getting more done per minute than I ever had in past 3D Zelda games. Part of that comes from the game's run button, which is managed by an energy gauge (which is also tied to wall climbing, rolling, climbing up ladders, etc.). The ability to speed up your movement and perform more acrobatic maneuvers makes the game faster and more exciting while giving your mind a constant task of resource management to keep it occupied. The real-time inventory, which is fast and easy to navigate, is also a big plus. There are also the new gameplay elements of Dowsing (which helps you track down specific people, places, or things) and an on-map marker system, both of which do a lot to help you navigate your surroundings while never making it too easy to get to your next destination.
Then there is the game's "overworld," the illustrious Skyloft and its surrounding sky islands. This generally safe and benign area gives us what most fans wanted from Wind Waker's ocean -- an alternate form of transportation that's a joy to operate while delivering a sense total of freedom and plenty of little things to do if you feel like it. Yet it remains compact and focused enough that you'll never feel like you're stuck or slowed down. The game's signature instrument, the Goddess Harp, offers a similar experience. It's easy to learn and difficult to completely master, yet never a chore to play. You can even keep playing it while you're walking around. Better yet, the music you play will fit seamlessly into the game's score. That's just another testament to Nintendo's unified goal of making Skyward Sword the most slick, smart, fast-paced 3D Zelda yet.
Last but not least, there is the amazing finale and post-game content to behold. Nintendo has that information embargoed until November 20th, but if I have my druthers, I'll be back to update this review with information on these amazing new features then. Suffice it to say, they both left a strong impression on me.
For my tastes, Skyward Sword is a near-perfect experience. That said, I can still recognize why others may have problems with the game. Some will hate the motion controls, not because they are poorly implemented, but because... they just hate motion controls. I've let quite a few of my motion control-hating friends come over and check out the game, and while most of them came to really enjoy how the game played, almost all of them were put off by the initial experience of working with the game's 1:1 sword controls, stating that the game was too hard or that they needed to be aware of their own body while playing. Simply put, a lot of people want videogames to free them of the shackles of their own lack of coordination, to make it so all you have to do is hit the buttons at the right time to win. Though the game rarely requires you to do more than flick your wrist up, down, left, or right, it's still more physically demanding than a solely button-based game. That may be more than some players are willing to deal with in this highly competitive market.
For that reason alone, Nintendo should have allowed for Classic Controller support. It wouldn't have been as fun for me to play the game that way, but for others, I'm sure it would have been preferable, at least during the initial stages of adjusting to all the other new aspect to the game. For similar reasons, the game probably should have had optional voice acting. I wouldn't have utilized it, but I know a lot of people who won't tolerate "reading" the story of a videogame anymore, even if it's a perfect fit for the non-realistic tone and modern fairytale style. Beyond that, some of the few bosses felt a little too easy, though they were usually followed up by a challenge that more than made up for their lack of grit. There was also a fetch quest towards the end that wasn't quite as fun as it should have been. Other than all that, the game is pretty much perfect.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is my new favorite 3D Zelda title, beating out Majora's Mask and Wind Waker by a substantial margin. It would be hard to go back to any of those games now. All of the gameplay innovations, emotionally involving moments, beautiful little details, and purely blissful experiences in this game have me completely and utterly spoiled. It's a very different Zelda game, one that will undoubtedly turn off some and absolutely enthrall others, but that's part of what Zelda does best, right? Fans of the series are still debating which game in the series is the best, and the arrival of Skyward Sword won't change that. Either way, there is no arguing that Skyward Sword is one of the most painstakingly crafted, lovingly developed titles in Nintendo's long, illustrious history. If you like videogames at all, you'd be goofy to not give it a try.

If the Wii had launched with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, everything would have been different.
Instead, the console launched with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, a game that sent all the wrong messages to thir...

Okay, Nintendo. We get it. Robin Williams is a total videogame nerd who named his daughter after Princess Zelda. One thing, though... Zelda Williams isn't in this commercial! I don't want extreme closeups of Robin's creepy old man lips!
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Robin Williams "Origins" Commerical [YouTube]

Nintendo is riding the Princess Zelda / Zelda Williams connection to the bitter end, but I'm really not bothered. Robin Williams is a such a cartoon character in most everything he does, and his daughter is oh so lovely. Mor...

Oh what's this! You can't get enough of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword? Casey Baker's words just not filling your brain with enough knowledge? WELL THEN HERE'S SOME NEW VIDEO! We got three total and each one shows off so...

Oct 21 //
Casey Baker
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)Developer: NintendoPublisher: NintendoRelease: November 20, 2011 (US) / November 18, 2011 (EU) / November 23, 2011 (JP)
In my last preview, I mentioned something about how catching bugs is an important part of the game's economy. Just as item-gathering is important, catching a wide variety of bugs is also incredibly important, but for an entirely different reason. In fact, as you may have noticed in older trailers (including these ones from way back in the middle of September), your inventory screen has two large, separate boxes -- one for bugs (12 types in total) and one for items (16 in total). While 12 types of bugs may not seem like a huge amount to catch, it's not a matter of catching one or two sparkly bugs of each to fulfill a sidequest where said sparkly bugs fly around your head as a weird, super kawaii princess girl congratulates you for your efforts.
This time around, the bugs are actually needed if you ever want to have potions that grant you additional power. Within the item shop in Skyloft's main bazaar, a little man-witch stirs bug-filled potions that improve upon those you already have, such as a more powerful heart potion that refills more health than the standard version. Considering how challenging even the weakest of the Bokoblins are in a fight, you're going to want to collect bugs.
Fortunately, good ol' Beedle is back in Skyward Sword, flying around Skyloft in a little airship. While I never got to actually meet the newly revised Beedle, I was told that he was up there waiting in case I ever needed a net. If I had more time to play, I would have figured out how to get up to him and bought myself a net post-haste.
Though I was interested in updating my potions (seriously, the base potions are basic), I was actually more interested in the thrill of catching some damned bugs! In the volcanic Eldin Province, I found the most adorable little bugs ever! I guess they were technically a sort of dung-beetle, but instead of dung, these little tiny bugs were rolling little tiny boulders. Seriously! Little tiny bugs rolling little tiny boulders! I was so excited by this random detail that I immediately began chasing after them. They ran away like crazy with their boulders in tow and then committed suicide by dropping into the lava that covers the Eldin Province. Later, I tried to catch them again by running at them and succeeded in squashing them all. I was clearly pretty clumsy without a net.
Speaking of the Eldin Province, I have to admit that I never actually made it into the second dungeon. In fact, I don't think I saw a single journalist face off against the boss waiting for them at the end of that dungeon. In my seven-plus hours of straight gameplay, I focused only on the primary quest and made it as far as almost being granted access into the second dungeon, the Earth Temple, which looked (from the journalist playing next to me who got a little further) like a classic fire temple.
There were several times when I came across special cubic stones called Goddess Cubes. Using my Skyward Strike technique, I whisked them away to another location, where a sidequest that would lead me to a treasure waited. At any point, I could find one of the many bird statues that dotted the landscape and served as quick travel points to take to the skies and seek out where these Goddess Cubes would lead me. However, as I looked at the clock and noticed how much time I had already wasted, I bypassed all of them to see more of the main quest. In the same way, I never had a chance to upgrade my gear. I did get very close to finally collecting the right items and the necessary number of each to get my wooden shield upgraded to the banded shield, which supposedly has more durability than the first version that falls apart after the first Bokoblin attack, if you don't know what you're doing.
The Eldin Province is massive in its own right, and it's also where the real challenge begins. It's incredibly dangerous to traverse with all of the lava and fire-breathing enemies. When you first make your way to the volcanic region, you meet the species of friendly creatures that live here. Instead of the boulder-eating Gorons that you'd expect, though, they are mole people called Mogmas who ask for your help in defeating a band of Bokoblins that has been causing trouble around their peaceful villages as of late. Once you agree to help them, they provide you with digging mitts, which pretty much work as expected.
One of the bigger advantages of the digging mitts is that they help find steam vents that can be used to reach higher ground via your sailcloth. Considering how rocky and treacherous the terrain around the Eldin Province is, this ability comes in handy on more than one occasion. Bokoblins have set up camp throughout the region, and much of your exploration involves knocking over their guard towers to create new paths or finding steam vents and running up steep hills from where they're hurling boulders down on you.
In order to gain entrance to the Earth Temple, you have to collect five shards of the key that will open the way. This part took me more than an hour on its own, and I never actually managed to find the last shard. Nintendo has added some really devious puzzles, and the Eldin Province overworld pretty much acts like a dungeon itself, with exploration rewarded by new areas and possible shard locations.
The enemies in this area are tricky to kill. Aside from the ever-pesky Bokoblins, there are these strange little fiery seal-like creatures called Pyrups that like to hide among rocks or inside wall cracks and spit a constant stream of fire at you. The trick to killing them is to either roll a bomb into the nooks that they peek out from like demonic hermit crabs or to toss one into the holes above them. I had some trouble with this, as every time I tried to get close enough for an easy roll, they began spewing fire, immediately ruining any hope of not blasting a bomb in my own face. Tossing the bombs into the holes above was a much easier task, as I could often find higher ground to simplify matters.
After spending so much time with The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, I still feel like I've only scratched the surface. I never actually caught a single bug or followed my dowsing beacon to a single Goddess Cube's final location. I barely even explored all of Skyloft or had time for any of its inhabitants' possible side quests (save for helping a kitty that later turned demonic at night, forcing me to throw it off the side of the floating city, the little bastard).
Somehow, I spent a full seven hours of a day exploring dungeons, fighting a wide variety of tricky enemies with a range of different attack strategies and novel combat concepts, skewering pumpkins, smashing innocent little bugs, and collecting all kinds of items that could help me in my quest.
The wait until November 20 is going to be a hard one.

One thing I haven't really had a chance to get into in my last couple of previews of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is how much more immersive the entire world actually is compared to past Zelda games. In some ways, it's ...

In an extremely interesting, though not so surprising revelation from the latest Iwata Asks it seems The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was initially intended to sport a purely button-based control scheme. Appa...

In our most recent preview of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Casey told us a bit about the new gameplay mechanic called dowsing. It basically acts as a magical compass, allowing you to easily find certain points of inte...

Oct 07 //
Casey BakerThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)Developer: NintendoPublisher: NintendoRelease: November 20, 2011 (US) / November 18, 2011 (EU) / November 23, 2011 (JP)
Let me calm your fears right now: I'm not going to do a complete dissection of the first dungeon and every single element found within. I chose to do a detailed walkthrough for the last preview to give you an idea of just how huge this game is, how expansive the city of Skyloft is, and how much freedom of movement Link is given in this world.
Instead, I'll start with a brief play-by-play and go more into detail about the elements of Skyward Sword that took me aback at the fact that I was playing a Zelda game. After all these years and countless iterations, it felt once again like the first time I played A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time. Yes, I believe this game has the potential to sit among (arguably) the greatest of the Zelda franchise, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's go back to where we left off.
Soon after Link obtains the Skyward Sword, Fi tells him that he must travel to the clearing in the clouds and the world below to find Zelda. At this point, the game world truly opens up, and you're free to tackle the missions or sidequests at your own leisure. You're encouraged to grab a shield from the shop or wherever you can find one.
Once I obtained my first shield, I noticed an immediate difference in how Skyward Sword treats its item management. My shield was a cheap, barely durable wooden shield, as they often are in recent Zelda games. However, not only was it flammable, it was also not at all impenetrable to enemy attacks. With your first shield comes the realization that you're a much more vulnerable hero this time around.
Certain equipment -- notably your shield, in this case -- will actually deteriorate over time from use (i.e. deflection) and eventually get destroyed completely. At first, I was incredibly wary of this new addition, because item deterioration in other games (I'm looking at you, Fallout 3) always tends to frustrate me. Though I appreciate the "realism" approach of this sort of gameplay wrinkle, I really hate losing my favorite weapon simply because it stops working after awhile.
However, as I got further into the game and lost one of my shields through combat, I came to realize that this new wrinkle actually adds an interesting twist to the game. While you are technically more vulnerable without a shield, you also find yourself approaching combat scenarios in a very different way. Instead of holding up a shield and relying on the old bait-and-switch tactic, you really start to focus on understanding the movement patterns of your enemies. You're forced to actually approach each fight carefully, watching enemy movement and waiting for the best opportunities to strike or evade.
Soon after landing in a clearing of a forest (the province of this forest is quite recognizable to those who have played Twilight Princess), I was taught how to dowse. Dowsing requires me to point my sword in first-person view mode and treat it like a compass until it beeps and vibrates enough to give me a direction to go towards. After learning that, I had to face my first "real" enemy of Skyward Sword. While the Keese and Gels that I had encountered before offered little challenge, the red Bokoblins -- small, stout goblins bearing a more ogrish resemblance to the moblins in Wind Waker -- provided the first true fight.
And what a fight it was! After slashing and stabbing with wild abandon, I nearly got my ass handed to me by a small group of Bokoblins. I found myself at half a heart, wildly slashing bushels of grass and running as far away as I could. For once in as long as I can remember, I was actually challenged by the lower tier enemies in a Zelda game. I managed to find a few hearts and rushed back into battle, this time being careful to really pay attention to how the Bokoblins moved.
In Skyward Sword, enemies holding any assortment of weapons and/or shields will undoubtedly provide a threat. They pay attention to your moves and block accordingly. They hold their weapons and shields in shifting patterns, and you have to pay attention to what they're doing at all times to even get in a good hit. Combat with these enemies is where the MotionPlus aspect really comes into play. It's where I had my first moment of realization that this was a different game altogether.
In Twilight Princess, you fought by waving the Wiimote around like a maniac. This sort of gameplay was looked down upon by many, especially those who wanted to see the game released earlier on the GameCube with a regular controller. I have to admit that I wasn't a huge fan of the Wiimote swordplay in that game myself. I eventually tried to exert as little effort as possible to get my sword swings to register, and even doing this tired me out because of mediocre and repetitive battles where I mainly just swung the Wiimote a bunch of times and then jabbed forward with the nunchuck to get a shield blow in.
Skyward Sword is not like this at all. My first battle with the red Bokoblins and every combat scenario afterwards continued to surprise and impress me with varied gameplay. My first wooden shield turned out to be relatively useless, and I started to really focus on using the Wiimote as if it were actually a sword. I parried and countered at the best of my ability, often getting my ass handed to me. The controls throughout these scenarios were precise and fluid; not once did I feel frustrated at the game because it registered my swings incorrectly. Instead, I got frustrated at the Bokoblins because they were so damned clever, always one step ahead of my moves, blocking my high swings and countering my low thrusts. However, if I waited for a moment and watched how they moved, I could get an opening through the areas of their bodies that they weren't defending.
After defeating hordes of Bokoblins and a few Deku Babas, I found my way down a path to the bottom of the clearing, where I came across a strange stone with an engraving. At this point, a new trick that Fi had previously taught me with the Skyward Sword came into play. Like He-Man, I was instructed to hold my magical sword aloft. I sort of felt like a dork doing this in a room full of journalists and Nintendo reps, but if I didn't hold the sword (Wiimote) high above my head and as vertically as possible, the trick wouldn't work. When I finally gave in and pretended I was inheriting the power of Greyskull, I did actually inherit some mystical powers from the heavens. Fi then told me to aim the charged sword and strike at the stone, and I complied. Immediately, a bunch of holes in the ground along the path I had clambered down begin to shoot steam, and a new pathway above through old stone doors opened up. I took no time in running across one of the holes, and with the help of my sailcloth, I was sent soaring above.
After a brief session of talking to some mystical figure living in a cave then being sent on my way, I travelled deeper into the woods and came across a strange little forest creature called a Kikwi, trying in vain to pass itself off as a bush. Once the Kikwi knew I was not a dangerous Bokoblin, it instructed me to go visit the Elder Kikwi living further ahead. I took some time figuring out how to get to the elder, and once I did, I was sent on my way again to find three other Kikwi under his charge before he would help me in my search for Zelda.
This part sort of reminded me of the wolf sections in Twilight Princess, where you're sent looking after a number of tears of light. I was not a fan of those parts of the game, as there seemed to be too many tears to look for, and they weren't always interesting to find. In this case, however, every time I found a Kikwi, I also discovered a new area of the map that I hadn't seen before, usually with its own batch of secrets and further areas to explore. I actually enjoyed looking for the Kikwi, as it required me to swing across vines, climb up new areas, and generally explore the surroundings until I found the little guys and caught them.
After all of this was finally completed, I was given passage to the Sky Temple. At this point, I decided to head back to Skyloft for some potion -- a relatively painless venture, as there are bird statues scattered around just about everywhere that serve as both save points and fast travel locations. Once you're back in the sky, you actually have to fly your bird back to Skyloft, and when you're flying over the city, you get a true idea of just how huge it is. Once I skydived into the main bazaar and purchased the items I needed, I jumped off of a Skyloft platform and took my bird back to the clearing, where I was given the option to travel directly to the bird statue outside of the Sky Temple.
I don't want to ruin too much of puzzles within the temple itself, as I'm all about discovery in Zelda games. I'll tell you this though: The puzzles this time around are outright devious. Fi doesn't provide nearly as many contextual clues as Navi did, though the Sheikah stones from the Ocarina of Time remake do make an appearance in Skyloft.
The main enemies in the Sky Temple are a new form of Skulltulas, and these guys are freaking hard. As in previous Zelda games, they have hard outer bodies and a weak spot in their bellies, but this time around, this actually means something in the context of fighting them. They weave webs in different patterns, requiring you to think about how you will approach the next battle. The scariest prospect comes when a Skulltula is not hanging down from a thread or within a web but crawling towards you on the ground, as they can be the most dangerous when they're free of their webbing.
The whole map/compass dynamic is gone. Instead, you automatically get the location information you need once you acquire a map. You'll definitely need to consult the map in the Sky Temple and any dungeon you face, as there are many different pathways to get to a room, and a keen eye for detail is paramount to figuring out your next move.
The big item of this dungeon is the beetle that you may have seen in earlier previews. I'll tell you this right now: I think the beetle might be my favorite addition to any Zelda game ever. This isn't hyperbole, either. You see, I grew up loving bugs, and being able to control an awesome little remote-controlled sort-of bug device made me more excited than you may ever know. Furthermore, the controls are incredibly precise; the beetle is really useful for various tasks, including cutting down hanging objects (think webbing, etc.) and getting into tight spots to hit switches. It's also just a lot of fun to let loose and fly around.
Speaking of bugs, there are bugs EVERYWHERE in Skyward Sword, and not just little sparkly white things that you find in hidden areas. The bugs actually play an important role in the economy of the game, but I'll get to that in a later preview. I just was really excited to see little ladybugs and grasshoppers and various other insects make the world of Skyward Sword feel more alive. When I realized you might be able to catch them all, well ...
Anyhow, after spending at least another couple of hours just getting through the dungeon and fighting a relatively challenging Stalfos Warrior miniboss, I faced my first real boss: Demon Lord Ghirahim, the strange, almost androgynous yet somehow vaguely sexualized character who will reappear to antagonize Link throughout the game. Lord Ghirahim toys with you, and fighting him is a real challenge. At first, he simply holds his hand close to your sword and waits for your move, like a cat playing with a mouse. If he grabs your sword, you have to quickly thrust it up and out of his hands before he takes it away. Every once in awhile, you're able to trick him by bringing your sword in one direction and then doing something unexpected with a slash in an entirely different direction.
Eventually, Lord Ghirahim switches tactics and starts rushing you. This is when the battle becomes really hard, and I died the first couple of times. Though I didn't have a shield, I could have still defeated him at this point had I only remembered to swipe in one direction for a spin attack when he rushed to my left and the other when he rushed to my right. I failed at sword mastery, though, and this failure was met with my quick demise.
I had to give in, and after another quick trip to Skyloft, I faced him again with my cheap wooden shield. This time, I found that attacking him when he rushed me was a lot easier, as I could block him without too much damage to my shield and then attack him as he regained his composure. I defeated Lord Ghirahim, though he mostly just got bored of toying with me and took off.
He's still a very enigmatic and mysterious figure in the game, and all that could be really gleaned from interactions with him is that he's an evil and power-hungry being who is in search of Zelda as well. Ghirahim tells me that Zelda's lingering presence is fading and then takes his exit. I collect a new Heart Container and a strange shard that fits into the base of the Goddess Statue on Skyloft, then I'm on my way again, soaring through the clouds back to Skyloft on my Crimson Loftbird.
This concludes my time with the first dungeon of Skyward Sword, though it certainly isn't the end of the preview coverage. Look out for more on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword leading up to the game's release!

In our last look at The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, we were introduced to the floating city of Skyloft and Link's obstacles towards knighthood. We met Zelda again as we would meet any old friend, yet she was soon taken aw...

Seriously, I would just love living in the world of Skyward Sword. Look at how Link and Zelda just jump off the cliff without any fear. I don't know if I'd be able to trust the birds like that to catch me, but I guess I'd ha...

Sep 29 //
Casey Baker
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)Developer: NintendoPublisher: NintendoRelease: November 20, 2011 (US) / November 18, 2011 (EU) / November 23, 2011 (JP)
Link begins his story as he often does in The Legend of Zelda series, rudely awakening from a troubling and foreboding dream. In the case of Skyward Sword, Link envisions himself desperately trying to get away from some enormous world-eating darkness, with a snarling fanged mouth and furious red eyes. When he wakes up, an odd, large bird is sticking its head through his bedroom window.
This bird, as it turns out, is of a species called Loftbirds on which the citizens of Link's city get around. As has been covered in past previews, Link lives in a place called Skyloft, floating high above the world among the clouds. The world below Skyloft is a mystery to its denizens, and the most pressing concern facing Link at the moment is gaining another step into his Knighthood. Link is a student at Skyloft Academy, where young knights-in-training work to earn their esteemed position as the flying defenders of the city.
Immediately after I leave Link's room in the Academy, I'm immersed in the world of Skyloft. I speak to a fellow student and resident bird expert name Pipin, who encourages me to go talk to one of the professors about pressing matters. While speaking to Pipin, I can't help but be impressed by the colorful and engaging characters and art style of Skyloft.
Once I'm actually able to step outside for the first time, what strikes me the most about what has changed in the series, beyond the Wind Waker style of cel-shaded art, is the fluidity of movement. For the first time that I know of in a Zelda game, I'm actually able to wall-run. For me, this is pretty exciting, and I test several different surfaces to see where I can wall-run. Once Link gets close to the edge of the surface he's running up, he automatically grabs and clings on. Link can also sprint -- he can break into a normal run as fast as before, but when he sprints he gains just a little more speed. Naturally, this takes energy, indicated by a sprint meter that rapidly empties out. Fortunately, there are little green bulbs of some sort of plant all around Skyloft, and when Link collects them, his sprint meter instantly replenishes.
I climb up to the roof of the Academy and run into one of the professors, who asks me to help catch a cat-like creature higher up that belongs to one of the Skyloft residents. I oblige, jumping across rooftop sections and climbing along walls with relative ease until I reach the kitty creature and grab it. I bring it back to the professor and casually toss it at his feet, getting his thanks as a response.
After just a little bit of exploration, I'm introduced to Zelda, who is both an old friend of mine and the daughter of the Headmaster of the Sky Academy. Zelda considers me a lazy, starry-eyed boy who is not fit for Knighthood. Her father thinks differently, citing my natural connection with my Crimson bird as a strong indicator of my hidden talents. He believes that the upcoming race in the sky will be mine to win.
Zelda, being the awesome friend that she is, shoves me off of a nearby platform in the interest of having me prove to her my supposed abilities with my bird.
Something is wrong. My strange red bird isn't appearing beneath me, and I keep falling. Zelda and her father stand around idly, making pithy comments about the amount of time it's taking for my bird to rescue me from my plummet. Finally, Zelda jumps into the sky and calls for her bird, who appears instantly and aids her in rescuing me from certain death.
The first objective of sorts has now come into play. My bird has gone missing and I have to find it. I wander around Skyloft for a little while until I run into a haughty guy with a pompadour named Groose. He is followed by two cronies, a short girl named Cawlin and a lanky boy named Stritch. Groose brags about how he's going to win the race and makes it pretty obvious that he probably has something to do with my bird's disappearance.
This soon leads me into getting a sword to help me in my first quest. The academy has a sparring hall that I visit, where I'm given a practice sword and encouraged to try it out. This is where I get my first real feel of using the sword with the MotionPlus controller.
I wildly swing my Wiimote at the first log I see. It plinks against the wood, but nothing significant happens. Finally, I realize that the log has a horizontal gash mark through the middle. I raise my arm up and do a horizontal slash. The log breaks into pieces. Satisfied with my newfound ability to be precise with my sword, I saunter over to the next log. This time, it gets a little more complicated, as the gash is a line going downwards in a left to right diagonal. I match the direction of the gash with a careful upwards swing, and the log breaks into pieces. Like a boss.
After cutting every log in the training room with slashes in various directions, I'm ready to take on the world. I run to the door and am about to take off when the sparring instructor stops me. I have to return my practice sword. Once I explain my predicament he lets me keep the sword, as long as I use restraint.
Naturally, as soon as I exit the sparring hall, I wildly swing my sword at patches of grass, butterflies, weeds, and anything else I can possibly damage or otherwise harm. I come across a pumpkin patch and start slashing pumpkins left and right. Through sheer accident, I stab a pumpkin and it sticks to the edge of my sword. Mmm, shish kebabs! I toss the pumpkin with a hearty throw of my arm and watch it sail into the clouds. I realize soon after that an actual skewering motion is what gets a pumpkin to stick to the sword, and pretty soon I'm skewering and tossing pumpkins with wild abandon.
This is what I really love about Skyward Sword already -- the fact that the MotionPlus aspect isn't some tacked-on gimmick. It affects every single part of the game, including the silliest of details. Yes, I can now finally truly skewer pumpkins with 1:1 motion in a Zelda game. This is almost as epic of a discovery as my first realization in A Link to the Past that I could not, in fact, endlessly abuse the chickens.
Once I've had my fill of pumpkin, I do a little more exploring and NPC-questioning until I find a cave barred up with wooden boards. A short cutscene informs me that my bird is trapped inside, and I cut the ropes keeping the boards in place with precise swipes of my sword. I come across my first enemies, a few bats and jellies that are reminiscent in design of the same types of enemies in Wind Waker. Both are just a little trickier to kill however, as they require that I swipe accurately in the correct direction to hit them.
After a couple of relatively easy puzzles and a few more tussles with less skillful enemies, I rescue my bird and I'm finally ready to enter the race that will get me just a little closer to Knighthood.
The race begins shortly thereafter, and I have to guide my bird using the Wiimote, similar to the way you controlled the giant bird creature in Twilight Princess. I can climb to a higher elevation and gain speed by raising the front of the Wiimote and dropping it down. Once I get the hang of this, I find the race to be relatively easy. The goal is to grab an item out of the talons of a golden bird that is flying ahead of all of the racing Skyloftians. After I almost manage to do it once, Groose and his cronies decide to make it a bit more challenging by throwing bombs at me as I weave through the clouds to grab onto the special item.
With a little bit of concentration, the special item is mine. It's some sort of mystical shard, an artifact that fits into a carving at the base of the Goddess Statue that overlooks all of Skyloft.
At the top of the Goddess statue, Zelda gives me my prize for winning the race and retrieving the item, a sailcloth that lets me jump from great heights and parachute down without harm. I'm encouraged to try it out by doing a little bit of base-jumping from the statue, and here again I have to use the controller to carefully pivot myself to the center of a circular plaza below.
Soon after this, Zelda and Link decide to take to the skies on their Loftbirds in search of adventure when an enormous tornado separates the two, snatching Zelda away from Link. When Link wakes up, he is introduced to Fi, the character that replaces Navi in earlier Zelda games. She starts as a vision that Link must follow to a secret area underneath the Goddess statue. Fi brings Link to a room where the legendary Skyward Sword is kept, and as has always been true to the Zelda games, Link takes up the sword to become the next hero of legend. Soon after, he is given his green garments, which in this game serve as the garments worn by those in his level of Knighthood.
And that is where I must end this preview. Stay tuned in the following weeks leading up to release as I cover various elements of the massive world that can be found in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

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The game certainly looks more imaginative than the or...

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Mar 23 //
Tony Ponce
Sever ties with everyone.
Every personal connection you've made in your life is a liability. People who know you tend to want to keep in touch with you. If they keep in touch with you, they may ask you to engage in activities with them. Those activities may include getting together to play Kate Touches Milo Inappropriately. Don't give them the opportunity. Avoid checking your mail. Disconnect your answering machine. Stop returning phone calls. Most importantly, don't leave the home unless you are in disguise. You wouldn't want someone recognizing you on the street and harassing you with idle chatter. "Where have you been?" "Is something the matter?" "I'm worried about you! Can you talk to me?" "Wanna hit the virtual lanes?" Most gamers are already social outcasts so making the jump to full-on seclusion should be a seamless process. English poet John Donne once said that no man is an island. John Donne was a dirty casual.
Sell everything.
You own a lot of useless garbage. Get rid of it. All of it. Clear out your attic. Empty your china cabinet. Sort through the boxes in the back of your closet. Look, it's the watch that has been in your family for generations. They say that you can't put a price on precious memories, but you can. A couple grand, easy. Establish priorities, my friends. In the MoCo future, your one and only concern should be ensuring the continued existence of real gaming. Anything that could be considered a distraction to that singular focus needs to be excised immediately. Naturally, the only items you should hang on to are your multimedia center and the collection of software currently in your possession. Let's not waste an opportunity to transform your excess furniture, linens, and cutlery into liquid assets. You need all the cash you can for what comes next.
Stockpile game hardware and software.
As one of gaming's last wards, it's up to you to preserve an archive of the medium's greatest achievements. Hit up eBay, Amazon, Japan Yahoo Auction, and wherever else to acquire key software and hardware spanning the decades. As a fine gaming connoisseur, you should understand that no collection of fine art is ever complete, that there will always be something more to add. Regrettably, the clock is inching closer to midnight and many unfortunate games will fall victim to the fallout. Do all in your power to rescue the great AAA masterpieces first and foremost. All the money you've collected through flipping your undesirables must go towards the expansion of your gamer cache. As long as the equipment you purchase is free of any MoCo operation, nothing is too extreme or obscure. Pong consoles that no longer operate properly? Throw them on the pile. Defunct handheld devices? Go for it. Superfluous peripherals that are not manipulated by button input? You should probably let that filth burn. In regards to next-generation consoles, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, they have yet to be tainted by their MoCo destiny and should most definitely be included in the archive. As for the last-generation blunder known as the Wii, it is a poison for which there is no cure. If you are the owner of a Wii, you may already be damned. To check for Wii infection, grab the front of your pants, pull it away from your body, and peer beneath your undergarments. Still have your balls? Good, you are still a man. Cast the machine and all its non-game software into the nearest septic tank to stew with the rest of the excrement.
Buy an onahole.
You're going to be alone for the rest of your life.
Disconnect from the Internet.
Hardcore gamers have long relied on the World Wide Web to follow the pulse of technological progress. The free exchange of information and good-natured support amongst one another has kept our spirits high during these troubled times. Unfortunately, continued use of the Internet is in violation of Número Uno. It has been crucial in our archival efforts, but now it's time to pull the plug. What about online gaming, you say? These are my people, you say? This is our fight, you say? Keeping the cyber portals open will leave you vulnerable to viral outbreak. Imagine if a news crawl announcing the grand success of the MoCo wave splashes on the screen. Your psyche, weakened by your heavy burden, may break at a reminder of the outside world's harsh reality. What if you download a firmware update that adds MoCo compatibility to previously motionless software? The purity of your media shrine will be tarnished! Another thing, how well can you trust the online community? How many are actually viral marketers for the latest Ubisoft sensation? How long before the most stalwart among them turn? You'll find out once they start spamming your inbox with requests to play co-op Jillian Michaels Masturbates a Horse. When you don't know who to trust, the only person you can trust is yourself.
Drop off the grid entirely.
The government can still track you. Your landlord will demand rent. You can lock your doors and windows, but others still know where you live. You have to get lost. Close your bank accounts. Cash out your retirement savings. Cancel your subscription to Men's Health Magazine. You must become a ghost. Once your affairs are in order, pack your things in a nondescript van and drive as far away from Podunk suburbia as you can. It's well-documented that the first mo-co infections were in outskirt communities populated by uptight, ascot-wearing WASPs, single mothers who carpool children to and from extracurricular activities, and senile war veterans who think that shooting five under par in Tiger Woods Bangbus Tour will make restore their youth. Avoid those hot zones. Find a secluded cabin in the woods and establish camp. You won't have access to utilities, so find a location near the river and purchase a reliable generator to power your media center. For last-minute provisions, travel to the nearest general store you can find and stock up on non-perishables. You don't want anyone to track your location, so make sure to murder the owner and bury his body beneath you floorboards. Trust me, the cops in hick country won't care if one or two go missing. With your cabin loaded and secure, hunker down and enjoy the years of peace and solitude in your own little digital world as the rest of the planet falls to ruin. Perhaps a cure will be discovered in the distant future and civilization will prosper once again. If that happens, your gamer archive will serve as spark a new era of cultural discovery! Kill yourself.
Ha ha ha ha! You fool! There is no escape! Look at what you've done! All your elaborate preparations must have required such strenuous labor! In your aspiration to avoid the hassle of playing MoCo games, you've expended more energy than playing those games would have ever drained! You lost before you ever began! Succumb to failure. Resign to your fate. Embrace death. No one will mourn your loss. They'll be too busy shadowboxing in the rec room, waggle sticks in hand.

[Editor's Note: We're not just a (rad) news site -- we also publish opinions/editorials from our community & employees like this one, though be aware that it may not jive with the opinions of Destructoid as a whole,...

I love the Wii. In fact other than Mr. Holmes, I think I might be the most ardent Wii supporter at Destructoid. My Wii is played just as often as my PS3 and 360 if not more, and not just when friends are over. I am a serious ...

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Feb 25 //
Nick Chester
You can also unleash Magic (lighting attacks, for instance) and furious combos by using energy gained from landing successful blows. And unlike Little Mac from Punch-Out!!, you'll also be able to upgrade Gracius' abilities using an RPG-like skill tree; you'll spend points gained for defeating bosses to get new combos and make Gracius more powerful.
For a WiiWare title, the game sounds like it'll be pretty robust -- the game only features 10 combatants (and one "final" boss), but offers you the ability to battle these combatants a second time, each with new powers and patterns. Ghostfire is even offering up an incentive mastering the game: The first person in North America to unlock the ultimate "Brutal Victory" combo (the game's ultimate, final prize) will get their name in a future Ghostfire game, as well as receive real-life, gladiator equipment.
You know you want that stuff, so limber up -- Rage of the Gladiators hits WiiWare on March 15.

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